A new step toward a deeper response to God’s call. This is how entry into the Discipleship of the Life Community of the Shalom Catholic Community can be described. The celebration, held last Saturday (28) at the Church of the Risen One Who Passed Through the Cross, in Aquiraz, brought together 115 missionaries who, after completing the postulancy period, now enter a stage marked by contemplation, unity, and evangelization.
The Holy Mass was presided over by Fr. Francisco Almeida, from the Discipleship in Pacajus, and concelebrated by Fr. Ângelo Júnior, from Eusébio, and Fr. Jonas Xavier, from Quixadá. Also in attendance were the Founder and General Moderator of the Community, Moysés Azevedo, and the Co-founder, Emmir Nogueira, as well as missionaries from the formation teams who accompany the disciples throughout the year.
The Eucharistic celebration marked the beginning of a new stage in the formation of members of the Life Community. This stage is known as the Discipleship. Lasting two years, this period is characterized by a deepening of intimacy with God, community life, and mission, seeking to conform the disciples more fully to the Gospel and to the Shalom charism.
During the rite of admission, the new disciples received the tau, a visible sign of total consecration and of their decision to live the Gospel radically. More than an external symbol, the tau expresses an interior surrender, the fruit of a journey of discernment and a generous response.
In the first year, members are sent to formation houses located in Eusébio, Pacajus, and Quixadá, in the state of Ceará. In these houses, daily life is marked by prayer, formation, and fraternal life. Inspired by the first Christian communities, the disciples embrace a simple, shared life centered on evangelizing mission, witnessing through their own lives the joy of belonging entirely to God.
The voice of the Church that sends
In his homily, Fr. Ângelo reminded the new disciples that the call to Discipleship is an invitation to unite themselves deeply with Christ, embracing the mystery of His death and Resurrection as the path to new life.
“The Community and all of us look upon you with joy, with the hope that this work, described in the Word of God, may be incarnated in your lives. Blessed be God for the ‘yes’ of each one of you. This is the path of Christ. With Him we die and with Him we live. We live from the life of the Risen One who passed through the Cross. For Him, out of unconditional love, we leave everything to follow Him.”
“Allow grace to act”
After the rite, Moysés Azevedo also addressed the disciples and their families, emphasizing the beauty of the missionary vocation and the importance of a generous response to God’s call.
“Be docile to what God desires to accomplish in your lives this year. Allow grace to act, to work, and to reach the deepest parts of your lives and souls. Do not take your eyes off God, who is essential. Do not let anything, anyone, or even yourselves hinder the work God desires to accomplish in you.”
Entry into the Discipleship is not merely a formative stage, but a milestone in the vocational journey. In it, missionaries renew their “yes,” embracing a life of greater self-giving, trusting that God guides every step. Sustained by grace, the new disciples begin this time with the desire to love and serve more, responding radically to the call they have received.
Check out some photos from the Holy Mass
